


Confused

by FanGirlofManyThings



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Freedom Fighters, Smellershot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 19:37:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3822340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanGirlofManyThings/pseuds/FanGirlofManyThings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Smellershot College AU in which too much drinking for Longshot leads to bad decisions and a very upset and confused Smellerbee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 2/23/2016- Minor Grammar Fixes

Crappy electronic music filled the apartment that Jet, Sneers and Pipsqueak rented during the semesters. As per usual the Freedom Fighter’s meeting had dissolved into drinking and partying. Smellerbee was currently sitting on a ratty couch in the living room playing her third round of kings with Sneers and two freshman, whose names she was way too drunk to even try to remember. Around them the general chaos of a college party surrounded them, laughter, drunken talking and the sound of beer pong being played one room over. One of the freshman had just popped the tab of the king’s beer and was being forced to chug it by Sneers when Longshot appeared next to Bee.

  
“Are we up in beer pong?” She asked glancing up at him. Bee had to take second look as she noticed just how drunk he was, his cheeks were flushed and he was swaying slightly. He shook his head and grabbed her hand, pulling her off the couch and through the crowd.

  
“Longshot, you feelin’ okay?” The short haired girl asked as he began to drag her up the stairs. He nodded as he opened the door to bedroom shared by Sneers and Pipsqueak.

  
“How much have you had?” She questioned as look of worry passed over her face. His only response was a shrug of the shoulders.

  
“You don’t know,” She gave him an incredulous look. Something was up with her silent friend, usually he drank a few beers and now he couldn’t remember. He placed his hands on the smaller girl’s shoulders and led her over to one of the beds. He sat down, patted the space next to him and waited for her to sit down.

  
“What’s eating you?” She asked. “You ain’t acting like yourself.”

  
His only response was to give her a long piercing look, one that didn’t make sense to the girl sitting across from him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had trouble reading Longshot’s silent form of communication. In fact most of the gang relied on her to translate for them. Then slowly, almost hesitantly he bent down and pressed his lips into hers. At first contact her body stiffened then she melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him in order to pull him closer. Without breaking the kiss she straddled his lap and began running her hands up and down the smooth, hard muscles of his back on stomach. Reaching up into her short brown hair he supported her as he leaned backwards onto the bed. His left hand trailed out of her hair, down her back and then up her front to brush over her delicate breasts. Smellerbee sat bolt upright, like she’d be struck by lightning.

  
“Shit…fuck… Longshot…we can’t…” Bee stammered slowly backing out away from the room. Her back hit the door and she fumbled for the door knob “You’re my best friend.” She mumbled then scurried out of the room leaving behind a very bewildered and drunk Longshot.

  
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Was all that came out of the short girl’s mouth as she all but tumbled down the stairs and into the unoccupied bathroom. Locking the door, she turned towards the mirror and just stared at herself for a second. Her dark eyeliner was smudge, making her look like a raccoon, and her black Five Finger Death Punch makeshift headband was askew.

  
“How could I make out with my best friend,” She asked herself running her finger under her eye in an attempt to clean some of it off. “And worse how could I actually like it? How am I supposed to look him in the eye now? Why would he go and do a stupid thing like that? Fuck” There was a banging on the bathroom door.

  
“Give a girl a fucking second,” She yelled back as she reached down and flushed the toilet. Turned the sink on, straightened her headband, and then turned the water off. She unlocked the door, stormed out the bathroom and right out the front door. The last thing she saw as the door swung shut behind me was Longshot going shot for shot with Pipsqueak.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Longshot sat bolt upright as soon as the ice cube touched his neck.

            “Check it he’s still alive,” The Duke squealed much too loudly for the headache Longshot. He glanced around the room and noticed he had four faces staring intensely at him. He glanced around but didn’t see Smellerbee anywhere, he did however notice his beat to shit cap hanging off the lamp on the other side of the room. He slumped backwards and covered his eyes in a vain attempt to shut out the light.

            “Damn dude, we were getting worried there,” Jet drawled, his ever present, cheap, unlit, cigar hanging out of his mouth. “Do you remember anything from last night?”

            The thin boy on the couch thought for a second. He remembered the meeting, then having a couple drinks with Jet but nothing after that. He uncovered his eyes, shook his head, and went in search of some Excedrin.

            “Not even going shot for shot with Pipsqueak?” Jet asked as Longshot stumbled back into the room with a bottle of pain killers in one hand and a bottle of Gatorade in the other. His eyes shot open in surprise.

            “Yeah dude, you took on the champ,” Sneers said with a laugh. “It didn’t end well for you though.”

            “Yeah,” Pipsqueak chuckled. “We did like 8 shots before you puked.”

            “And that was late in the night too,” The Duke chimed in. “The spirit’s only know how much you actually drank last night.”

            “You pounded 7 or 8 beers and a few shots right after the meeting,” Jet said with an uninterested tone. “Then you came to me and actually _spoke_ about a certain little lady who isn’t currently present. Not sure about after that though, I got distracted by some leggy brunette.”

            Longshot glanced around the room in wonder. What had gotten into him last night? During the meeting he’d been a little jealous that Bee had chosen to sit on Sneer’s lap as opposed to next to him as was their usual custom. He shook his head, he wasn’t stupid enough to let something like that get to him. Bee was his best friend, she always chose him when life went sideways or something particularly good happened. He shook his head and walked around his friends to grab his hat, he was starting to feel kind of naked without it.

            “So what did bean pole over there have to say about Bee?” Sneers questioned, suddenly very interested. Sneers had a need to know everything that was going on around him.

            “Mostly he just slurred about how he was tired of watching from the side as Bee made moves on guys who weren’t worth her time,” Jet said looking Longshot dead in the eye and twirling his cigar in his fingers. A look of pure shock passed over his face as Longshot collapsed back on to the couch. The guys didn’t get a chance to interrogate him though, because at that moment the front door crashed in and in flew the storm known as Smellerbee. Longshot glanced over at her, she looked like she hadn’t slept at all, her make-up was smudged and her hair was in tangles.

            “I left my phone here,” She stated as she began to check obvious surfaces. “Any of you dumb-asses seen in?” She got down on her knees and started to check under the couch and coffee table. Various grunts approximating the word “no” were made throughout the room.

            “Well fuck,” Was Bee’s response as she moved into the ping pong room. Longshot followed and helped her look through the piles of cups and beer cans. Smellerbee for her part simply pretended Longshot wasn’t there. They continued this pattern moving through the rest of the trashed apartment

“Fuck me,” Bee muttered as she pounded up the stairs with Longshot at her heels. With a heavy sigh she threw open the door to Sneers and Pipsqueak’s room. She looked under one of the beds and pulled her phone out victoriously. When she turned around her silent friend was staring at her with a very confused look on his face.

            “If you don’t remember, then you were more fucked up last night than I originally thought you were,” Bee stated coolly brushing past Longshot and down the stairs. He stood there trying to understand what she had said. His only thought was why was her phone in the bedroom and what did it have to do with him?

            “Come talk to me when you get a head on your shoulders,” Bee yelled up the stairs at him, then he heard the door slam shut and she was gone. Longshot lumbered down the stairs with a very confused look on his normally stoic features.

            “Damn, what happened last night?” Sneers questioned from the kitchen. Longshot shrugged his shoulders as he set about making a cup of coffee. It was going to be a long day he decided.

“He probably made out with some freshman or something,” Jet stated as though he was talking about the weather.

“Why would Smellerbee care about that?” Pipsqueak asked between mouthfuls of pancakes.

“Cause she’s in love with Longshot,” Came the reply from Sneers. “That’s been obvious since they walked in here for the first meeting.” Longshot sent Sneers a look that screamed _you’re out of your freaking mind_.

            “No I ain’t,” Sneers shot back. “You should see the look on her face when other girls try an’ flirt with you.”

            “It’s true,” The Duke piped up. “We’re always worried that she’s gonna stab one of them.” Longshot shook his head, there is no way Smellerbee even cares about what he does with other women.

            “She really does,” Sneers chuckled. Longshot really didn’t feel like having this conversation right now, or ever frankly. He placed his mug in the sink, checked his pockets for his wallet, keys and phone, confirming them there walked out the door with a jaunty wave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 2/23/2016 - Minor Spelling Fixes


	3. Chapter 3

**Jet’s wondering if you’re coming tonight.** Bee’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket, read the message and sent back a one word reply. **Yes.** Ever since “the incident” ,as she had taken to referring to it as, Bee was having trouble looking Longshot in the face let alone having an actual conversation with him. It was times like this she wished she had a female friend to talk to. The guys were great but if she brought up how confused she was about Longshot and what had happened last week they would just poke fun at her instead of actually helping. Bee heaved a sigh as she pulled the door open.

She looked around the filled living room, the only empty space was on the couch next to Longshot, her usual spot. Straight up ignoring Longshot she strode across the room, and sat on Pipsqueak’s lap. The Duke passed her a beer as he sat down next to Pipsqueak. Her attention was only half on Jet’s rambling about the Fraternities and Sororities and how the Freedom Fighters need to save the school from their oppression.

The other half was spent watching Longshot out of the corner of her eye. He seemed quite upset, the brim of his ever present hat was tipped low over his eyes, and what she could see of his mouth was pressed into a hard line. He appeared to be attempting to become one with the couch given how slumped he was.

Twenty more minutes of Jet’s rambling and the Freedom Fighter’s dissolved into full on party mode. The lights went down, the music went up, and the general party chatter filled the rooms of the small apartment.

“Be my beer pong partner?” The Duke asked.

“Sure,” Bee said tossing back the last of her beer. “Go put our names on the list, I’m gonna go grab myself another beer.” The Duke scampered off in the direction of the pong table. Bee wove her way through the crowd to the kitchen. She grabbed a beer from the fridge and was just about to make her way back to the living room when Longshot walked into the room. She froze for a split second, she’d managed to avoid him all week. Being cornered by him right now wasn’t really what she wanted.

His dark eyes pierced hers as made his way across the room to where she was standing. He held up the beer can in his hand and shook it so she could hear that it was empty. She let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding as she stepped aside and scampered out of the kitchen. Leaving a bewildered Longshot to grab another beer and wonder _what the_ _fuck happened last week_.

Bee lost track of time as the party continued into the night. She and the Duke went undefeated for 3 games. She cheered on a couple freshman as they funnel raced. Hell, she even danced a bit with Jet and Sneers when they decided it was time for a dance party. She was relaxing on the couch watching a few Freedom Fighters on the floor in front of her play a round of Kings when Longshot flopped down on the couch next to her. She must have had a bit more than she thought because she almost greeted him as though nothing was wrong.

“What’s your problem?” Longshot bluntly asked.

Shaking of the shock of Longshot actually speaking Bee’s answer was to give him a long, cold stare and then turn back to the game in front of her.

“Why won’t you just tell me what’s wrong?” Longshot asked looking dejectedly down at the beer in his hands.

Bee sighed, “Because I’m too confused.” She didn’t take her eyes off the game going on in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Editted 2/23/2016 Minor Formatting Fixes


	4. Chapter 4

Bee’s words hit Longshot like stepping in water with socks on, unsettling and unexpected. He took a few more sips of his beer and decided pushing Bee anymore was risking meeting the business end of her knife. Longshot really needed to figure out what happened last week. He wanted nothing more than to remember so that he could right whatever wrong he’d committed.

He finished his beer and stood up to go grab another. Walking into the kitchen he found Jet leaning against the wall talking with Sneers.

“What’s eating you, Shot?” Jet asked glancing at the tall boy. _Bee_ , he replied with a look grabbing another beer from the fridge.

“Go easy there man,” Sneers commented “You don’t want a repeat of last week.” Longshot shrugged and popped the tab on the beer.

“So what’s buggin’ you with Bee?” Jet probed. Longshot shrugged and shook his head.

“She won’t tell you what happened?” Jet confirmed. The dark haired boy just nodded his head sadly and took a swig of the beer in his hands.

“Sneers,” Jet said turning to the shorter boy, “Do some recon, will you?” He nodded in the direction of the living room and Bee.

“Sure thing el presidente,” Sneers answered giving a salute and heading towards the direction Jet had indicated. “Give me like ten minutes and I’ll have an answer.”

Jet turned to Longshot, who had stolen the chair Sneers had vacated, and gave a long look before opening his mouth. “You know you’ll have to tell her how you feel eventually right?” Longshot gave the boy an incredulous look before nodding his head real slow. The two sat in comfortable silence sipping their beers and letting the party sounds wash over them.  Ten minutes later, almost to the second, Sneers stumbled back in.

“Do I have some news for you,” Sneers sing-songed with a know-it-all grin on his face.

“Spill,” Jet deadpanned.

Sneers dramatically pointed at Longshot, “You my friend don’t have to worry about telling our little Smellerbee how you feel.” He paused for a moment. “Because you already made out with her last week while you were blackout drunk.” A look of pure horror passed across Longshot’s face before he leaned back and rubbed his hands over it in an exacerbated manner.  

“Well fuck,” Was Jet’s response. “No wonder she’s pissed. You made out with her and can’t even remember. That’d make any chick pissed and we all know Bee ain’t just any chick.”

“No she ain’t,” Sneers said drawing the words out while falling into the nearest chair.

“So what’s the plan, boss?” Jet asked twirling his cigar between his fingers. Longshot gave Jet a look that screamed “ _How the hell should I know”_.

“Personally, I think you should just be straight forward with her,” Sneers said. “But try not to wait too long cause if you do she’ll start to think you were just looking for someone to blow off steam with and then she’ll get even more upset. And let me tell you that girl is already really confused and really upset about the situation.”

“Sneer’s is right,” Jet said looking over at Longshot. “And a confused Smellerbee is an angry Smellerbee. And that is the last thing you want.” Longshot nodded then shot Jet a look that said “ _not tonight. I need some time to work this out_ ”.

“That’s fair,” Jet answered. “I just wouldn’t wait too, too much longer.” Sneer’s nodded in agreement.

 _“I’m gonna get out of here, guys._ ” Longshot indicated with a tip of his hat and a toss of his empty can.


	5. Chapter 5

Bee groaned, rolled over and pushed her face into the couch that she had been sleeping on until the sun rudely decided it was time to get up. She quickly decided that was a bad idea because the couch smelled like cheap beer and puke. Sitting up, Bee decided that coffee was in order.  She was just putting a pot up to brew when Jet stumbled sleepily into the kitchen.

            “Oh, good I was coming down to make a pot,” He said pulling a chair out and slumping into it.

            “I figured everyone would want some so I made a big pot,” Bee answered spinning around to face her president.

            “So what’s up with you and Shot?” Jet asked, he figured it was better to hear it straight from her than second hand from Sneers.

            “What’s it to ya?” Bee responded snarkily, looking him dead in the eye.

            “One you guys are part of this club and I consider it my duty to keep things smooth around here,” Jet said meeting her glare. “And two you guys are my friends so I’m genuinely concerned about you two.”

            Bee took a deep breath and spit out “We made out last week, he doesn’t remember and now I’ve realized some feelings for him.” Suddenly everywhere that wasn’t Jet’s face was very interesting.

            Jet laughed, “Is that really what’s been eatin’ you?”

            “It’s not funny, Jet” Bee snapped. “He clearly doesn’t feel the same way and now my feelings are going to ruin the best friendship I’ve ever had.” Just then the coffee pot alerted her that it had finished brewing its life giving liquid and Bee turned around to pour a mug for herself.  

            Jet appeared at her side, “How do you know he doesn’t feel the same way?” He fixed himself a cup, adding way to much sugar for Bee’s taste. “Longshot doesn’t strike me as the kind of person, even blackout drunk, to make out with someone who means nothing too him.”

            “Yeah but who drunk makes out with someone they actually care about?” Bee countered.

            “Someone who’s never very good about talking about their feelings,” Jet answered slipping out of the kitchen leaving Bee to deal with her swirling thoughts. Slowly but surely the Pipsqueak, the Duke (he’d slept over as well), Sneers and a female, that Bee could only assume was Sneer’s latest fuck, made their way downstairs. About an hour later, after they had all truly woken up and Sneer’s girl left, they set about picking up the garbage that was littered throughout the house.

            As they were throwing the last of the trash bags in the dumpsters outside Sneers made a suggestion, “Hey, if no one has a lot of work to do we should totally watch a movie tonight.”

            “Pitch Perfect?” The Duke asked bouncing to the door.

            “Yeah,” Pipsqueak rumbled.

            Sneers glanced over at Bee with a smirk on his face. “Bee, text Longshot the details. Say about 8 tonight.”

            “Yeah, sure,” Bee said attempting to hide the grimace. She didn’t need to give Sneers the satisfaction of knowing he got under her skin. Bee sent the text, with minimal words and slipped her phone into her pocket.

            “I’m gonna get out of here guys. I’ll be back around 8,” She said slipping out the front door.

            “When do you think those two get together?” the Duke asked looking up at Pipsqueak.

            “It better be soon,” The large man answered. “I don’t know how much longer I can take the tension.”

            “We should give them a nudge, so to say,” Jet drawled from the couch.

            “What do you have in mind?” Sneers asked.

            “Well what we need to do is force them to face the issue,” Jet said lazily. “Otherwise Bee is gonna keep running away.”

            “Ain’t that the truth,” Sneers responded sinking into the couch.

            “Everyone invite someone over that you don’t mind snuggling with. We’re gonna awkward those two into getting together.” Jet smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 2/23/16 - Minor Spelling Fixes


	6. Chapter 6

The sound of female giggles greeted Longshot’s ears before he was even fully in the door. As he entered the living room the first thing he saw was a slightly grumpy Bee on the couch sipping a sprite. Then he noticed that each guy had a person cuddled up to them. Jet had a skinny dude with a huge scar on the left side of his face pressed into his side on the same couch as Bee. She for her part appeared to be pretending they didn't exist. Pipsqueak had a very athletic looking blonde on his lap on the other couch. Joining them on the couch was the Duke and a redheaded chick who appeared to be about five foot even. Sneers and a black haired Asian girl had the arm chair monopolized. The space not occupied by a grumpy Bee or a hormonal couple was the floor.

 

Longshot gave a curt wave to the room as he slipped through to the kitchen. Longshot opened the fridge and sifted through the contents until he came up with a can of orange soda.

 

“This is gonna be so much fun,” Bee said stepping into the kitchen. _Fun is not how I would put it._ Longshot answered glancing at Bee with a grimace on his face.

 

“Well if any of them start making out in front of me I’m out,” Bee said with finality. _Same._ With that Longshot left the kitchen.

 

“The couch is mine.” She called after him.

 

Longshot took a seat on the ground leaning against the armrest closest to Bee’s seat. After a minute the smell of popcorn wafted into the room. He heard a beep, some rustling, then Bee appeared in the living room holding a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a soda in the other. Giving Sneers and his make out partner a disgusted look, she passed the bowl to Longshot, then swiped the remote from Jet’s armrest. Not that Jet noticed, he was very wrapped up in the brunette currently gracing his lap. Longshot heard an ungrateful plop on the couch and smiled to himself. Bee had never been a picture of ladylike grace but Longshot found she had her own grace. After a couple moments of listening to Bee get settled, then the movie started.

 

The new Pitches had just been inducted when Bee slid off the couch and on to the floor next to Longshot.

 

“Jet and Zuko decided their making-out could not be contained to one side of the couch,” Bee whispered grabbing a handful of popcorn. Glancing up, Longshot saw that the two were very much entangled taking up the entire couch.

 

As the movie continued Longshot and Bee spent the movie staunchly ignoring their friends. And ever so slowly, so slowly neither of them noticed until too late, they were shifting closer to each other. By the time the movie had ended they were sitting shoulder to shoulder with Longshot’s arm slung around Bee’s shoulder.

Bee reached up behind her and managed to snag the remote from under the two up on the couch and switched the movie off. Longshot glanced around the room. Sneers and his raven haired girl appeared to have gone upstairs for some privacy. The Duke and the small girl occupying his lap had fallen asleep. Longshot chuckled and shook his head that kid could fall asleep anywhere. Longshot would be this bottom dollar on it. Pipsqueak and the blonde perched on his lap were continuing the loud discussion about football they had started about mid-way through the movie. Longshot stood up and turned around to offer a hand to Bee, only to find that she was already making her way into the kitchen.

 

He followed suit and sat quietly at the table as Bee cleaned the bowl. As he sat watching her, he remember the day he met her, the day he began falling in love with the short, rough, beautiful woman who now stood in front of him.

 

_ Six Years Ago _

 

“You a retard or somethin’,” Longshot gave the moron yelling at him a bored glance over the top of his book. He’d heard that particular line about twice a day for three years now. It’d stopped impressing him after the third time it’d been screamed at him.

 

“Hey he asked you a question,” Moron number two yelled.  “You deaf too?”  Ah yes, he’d been expecting that, it was the usual follow up to the first question. He didn't even bother glancing up this time. Moron number one reached down and grabbed Longshot's shirt, pulling him to his feet. Longshot shut his eyes and braced for the impact of a fist, except for the first time it never came.

 

Instead a voice growled “I wouldn't do that if I was you.” Longshot opened his eyes and standing behind his attackers was a small girl. Longshot had seen her around, she kept to herself and most people were terrified of her. Her hands were casually in her pockets, and she had a devil-May-care grin on her face.

 

“Oh and what are you gonna do about it, midget,” Moron number two answered taking a step towards the kid.

 

“Bet you two to one I can get my knife in your flesh before either one of you can land a blow on me,” She grinned ignoring the question and pulling a knife from her pocket. Apparently moron number one didn't like those odds.

 

“Fuck this,” he said angrily letting go of his grip on Longshot’s shirt. Both of the attackers stalked off like hyenas after a lion returns. The girl shot daggers out of her eyes at them until they turned the corner out of site. Then she turned to leave. Longshot reached down grabbed his bag and hurried after her. As he caught up to her, he gingerly reached out and tapped her shoulder to get her attention. She spun around with a surprised look on her face.

 

“Oh, it’s just you,” she said disinterestedly. “Did you need something?” _Thank you._

 _“_ Don't. It’s what any decent person would’ve done,” she answered. _You understand me._ Longshot’s face had an almost cartoonish-ly surprised look.

 

“Of course,” she said in a bored tone. “Anybody could do if they bothered to look instead of just seeing something.”

 

_ Present  _

“What are you thinkin’ about,” Bee asked, pulling him out of the past. _The day I met you._ He answered giving her a small smile.

 

“Yay, well you just got lucky I was walking by,” She said with a shrug. _A very lucky day indeed._ He gave her a smirk.

 

“Oh hush,” she threw the dish towel, she had been drying her hands on, at him.

 

“I mean it,” he said softly. “Meeting you changed everything.”


	7. Chapter 7

Meeting you changed everything. Those four words had been running through Bee’s head all week. Plaguing her like an itch she couldn’t quite reach. She heard them in all her quiet moments, in the shower, in class, just before she fell asleep. Hearing Longshot’s voice was a gift it’s in and of itself. But hearing him say those words about her with such a tender loving tone was a treasure.

Bee took a deep breath as she reached for the door knob of the shitty apartment that had become their unofficial club’s hangout. She steeled herself to pretend the past two weeks hadn’t happened. If Longshot hadn’t approached her since “the incident” happened he clearly didn’t remember. And as she saw it, it wasn’t worth ruining her friendship with him over something he couldn’t even remember.

“What’s happening?” Bee said stepping into the apartment with a short wave to the occupants of the room.

“Getting ready to initiate the new recruits,” Jet answered casually from the couch, his unlit cigar hanging from his mouth. Sneers and Pipsqueak nodded from where they were setting up a folding table in the middle of the room.

“Do us a favor and go grab a couple cases of pabst out of the fridge,” Sneers told her.

“Yeah,” She answered moving towards the kitchen. “How many recruits we got this year?” Bee asked placing the cases on the table Pipsqueak had just righted.

“Six,” Jet answered. “Not bad, not bad,” Bee said flopping down on the armchair.

“Yeah wait ‘till they realize they gotta chug a beer for each recruit,” Sneers said with his namesake dancing across his face in glee.

“Oh I’m sure it’ll make ‘em freak out,” Bee said gleefully. “But nobody will beat my record; seven beers in 56 seconds.”

“Damn, Bee,” Pipsqueak said with admiration coloring his voice. He was setting out the cans in six sets of six.

“And to think we all put money on you quitting after 2 beers,” Jet said with a huffing laugh.

“Hey man, if you’re gonna underestimate me I’m gonna do my damndest to prove you wrong,” Bee shot back.

“And prove us wrong you did,” Sneers said tossing a beer into Bee’s lap.

“Besides it was ‘Shot who almost quit early,” Bee said with a giggle.

“Man he almost puked,” Jet said bursting into laughter at the memory. Sneers and Bee joined him as they were reminded of the look on Longshot’s face after he finished his seventh beer. Just then Longshot entered the apartment just as the laughter was ending.

“Speak of the devil,” Sneers said slapping Longshot on the back. Longshot looked at Bee with a look of paranoid confusion on his face. “No we weren’t talking shit about you,” She told him. “Just remembering our initiation night.” He sighed and shook his head at the four of them. _I barely even touched beer before that night. Cut me some slack_ , He “told” Bee.

“Oh I know,” Bee said. “Doesn’t mean it wasn’t funny.” Longshot huffed at her and went into the kitchen.

An hour and a half later and the recruits had been inducted and the party was in full swing. None of them had even come close to Bee’s record but they had all held down their alcohol.

“Longshot,” Bee called across the crowed apartment. “We’re up, get your skinny ass in here.” Bee ducked back inside the beer pong room as Longshot began picking his way through the crowd. The freshman had just finished re-racking the cups as Longshot appeared in the room with a can of orange soda in hand.

“Ready to show these freshies why we call you Longshot?” Bee asked with tipsy glee. _You know it_ Longshot answered.

“Alright, winners get first toss,” Bee said to the sophomore across the table from her. “But don’t expect to be standin’ there in a few minutes.” Both the sophomore and his partner missed their shots.

“’Shot, I’ll give you the honor of first toss,” Bee said looking up at him. With the same calmness that he did everything with, Longshot took two large backwards steps and prepared to take his shot. Bee glanced around the small room at the confused looks on the freshman’s faces. No one ever expected someone to play from so far back. With all the precision of shooting an arrow, Longshot sunk his shot.

“And that ladies and gentleman is why we call this man Longshot,” Bee said glancing around the room. “

If that’s why he’s Longshot. Then why are you Bee?” One of the newbies asked over the din of the party.

Bee pulled her knife from her pocket and snapped it open in one fluid motion, “’Cause I sting like a bee,” She answered him shooting him her best I’m-crazy-and-know-it face. Longshot shook his head at her antics. She shot him a smirk.

She slid her knife back into her pocket lined up her shot from a more customary position then Longshot favored. She sank her shot easily.

“Let’s have those back,” Bee said gesturing with her fingers. The two across the table took the appropriate sips from their cups and then threw the balls back. The game continued on until Bee and Longshot had soundly beaten the other team. They played another two teams including the Duke and Pipsqueak before giving up the table.

Bee followed Longshot into the kitchen to grab herself another beer. “Man, we make a one hell of a team,” Bee said turning to face her best friend. Her eyes found him lounging casually in one of the kitchen chairs looking at her like she was water and he was a man dying of thirst. His look stopped Bee in her tracks.

“What ‘chu lookin at me like that for?” Bee asked trying to shake the warm fuzzies his look gave her. _No reason._ He shook his head as though to clear a thought from it.

“Alright fine have your secrets,” Bee said teasingly. “Why aren’t you drinking tonight?” She asked gesturing with her beer at his half empty can of soda. A look of pure regret passed over his normally stoic features. _I don’t want to make another mistake._

“Waddya m-“Bee was cut off by Sneers sticking his head into the kitchen.

“Hey Bee one of these stupid freshies says girls only drink wine.” He said with an evil glint in his eye. He loved watching Bee tear the heads off of stupid freshmen.

“Oh, I’m coming,” She said grateful for a reason to continue pretending there was no weirdness happening between her and her best friend. She glanced back as she left the kitchen to see Longshot slumped a little farther down in the chair looking a bit like a kicked puppy.

About 20 minutes after she had finished tearing the stupid freshman a new asshole Bee was leaning on the banister watching the Freedom Fighters in the main room play cheers to the governor. She was getting a good laugh out of watching their antics and was thoroughly enjoying herself when someone ran down the stairs and decided it was a good idea to smack her ass.

“Who the fuck do you think you are,” Bee yelled turning to face the moron. She wasn’t entirely sure the little punk heard her because he was currently being stared down by Longshot as he backed the kid up into a wall. Bee could feel the eyes of everyone at the party watching the scene unfold. Longshot himself looked scarier then Bee had ever seen him. She descended the stairs to stand next to her best friend.

“You should probably get out of her,” Bee said in an eerily calm voice. “And I wouldn’t think about coming back. Cause if I ever see you around here again I don’t think you’ll like what’ll happen.”

“S-s-sorry,” The kid stammered trying to shrink farther away from Longshot but the wall was forcing him to fail.

“Longshot,” Bee said placing her hand on his arm. He looked down at her _Tell him I’ll kill him if I ever see him again._

“I will but you gotta let him leave after,” She said calmly. Longshot nodded.

“Longshot would like you to know that if he ever sees your punk face again you’re a dead man,” Longshot stepped just far enough back to let the kid slid out from between him and the wall. As the door slammed shut behind him,

Bee turned back to the near silent party, “What are you lot lookin’ at?” She growled. Slowly the party returned to its regular noise level. For the rest of the night Longshot never left her side and every so often Bee would catch a group of people talking and glancing over at the two of them.


	8. Chapter 8

Longshot’s eyes opened slowly as he woke up. He had ended last night on the couch after Bee had passed out on the other one just as everyone had started leaving. After what happened last night he couldn’t bring himself to leave her side.

Longshot rolled over, shifting the blanket he had used during the night to cover himself better. He lay there in the dim light of the early morning light watching Bee’s face as she slept. He smiled. The light from filtering in through the curtain played across her face. She was beautiful at any point but there was something stunning about her face when she slept. Sure, her hair was a wreck and she was sprawled out on the couch in the most ungraceful way possible but her face was so at ease. She looked so peaceful laying there with the sun playing across her face, a small smile gracing her lips.

 _“So what’s the plan, boss?”_ Jet’s voice floated back to the young man. “I don’t know,” Longshot thought to himself. He heaved a huge sigh and flopped on to his back. “I have to talk to her about how I feel. It shouldn’t be that hard. I’ll talk to her today, after she wakes up,” He decided pulling out his phone to flip through Facebook.

About 45 minutes later he heard Bee start to groan and move around. He put his phone down and threw off the blanket. He quietly crept past Bee, he had learned long ago that waking her up before she was ready was a death sentence, into the kitchen. He got a pot of coffee started and poured a glass of water.

As he reentered the kitchen Bee was just starting to wake up. He smiled at her sleepy face and hair everywhere.

 _Here_ he said holding the glass out for her.She gave him a small smile and took the glass. She downed half of it in one go.

“Thanks,” She said swinging her feet on to the ground. She stood up and meandered into the kitchen.

She started rustling around in the guy’s cabinets.

“Ah ha!” She examined coming out with a box of over sugared cereal.

Longshot shook his head, _That stuff’s gonna rot your teeth._

“Oh, hush you,” She said putting a bowl and spoon on the table. “It’s not the worst thing ever.” As she finished getting her cereal together, Longshot prepared two cups of coffee. He set one cup in front of her and then sat in the chair across from her. He sipped his coffee slowly as she ate her way through a bowl of sugar coated cereal.

“Hey I don’t think I got a chance to thank you for what you did last night,” Bee said breaking the silence. _Don’t mention it,_ Longshot told her.

“Well I’m gonna,” She responded. “Thank you for having my back last night.”

 _I always have your back_ , He said lightly patting her hand.

Bee gave him a small nod, “I know and I really appreciate it.” They lapsed back into silence. Longshot sipped his coffee and soaked in the peace that he found in the quiet moments he spent with Bee. Whether it was sharing a meal or pulling an all-nighter in the library together, Longshot simply enjoyed being in Bee’s presence.

She was putting together a second bowl when Longshot touched her arm to get her attention. _Can we talk_ was written all over his face.

“Yeah sure ‘Shot,” She said setting down the box. “What’s up?” Longshot was pretty sure he saw a brief look of panic flicker across her face.

 _It’s about what happened a few weeks ago_ he told her wrapping his hands around his mug.

“I didn’t think you remembered that,” She said honestly. “You were so drunk. I just kinda figured that when you didn’t talk to me about it right after it that you had no idea.”

 _Sneers found out somehow and told me._ He looked her dead in the eye, _But I’d like to know exactly what happened_.

Bee sighed and brushed some of her unruly hair out of her face. “You came up to me really drunk; grabbed my hand and pulled me up into Sneers and Pipsqueak’s room. We sat down on the bed and you kissed me. I kissed you back at first but then I kinda panicked that you were only using me to blow off steam and I bolted. And there’s that whole I’m making out with my best friend thing, which also scared me,” She glanced around the room like anything else in the room was a better place to look then Longshot’s face.

He reached out, placed a hand on her arm and took a deep breath. “Bee, I would never make out with you just to blow off steam. You mean too much to me. I wouldn’t risk losing you over something stupid like that,” He said looking her in the eye the whole time. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He removed his hand from her arm and glanced down.

“You mean a lot to me too, Longshot,” She told him, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. They sat in silence for a few moments just processing what the other had said.

“So where do we go from here?” Bee asked breaking the quiet. _How about dinner?_ Longshot asked with a bashful smile creeping across his face.

“Sure,”Bee answered giving him a small smile of her own. “Does tonight work for you?” _Yeah it does_ he responded with a small nod.


End file.
